My first interaction with a ‘Muslim Mind’ was when I was in primary school.

Background

What I exactly remember is that I was in 3rd or 4th standard. My school was Lokmanya Madhyamik Vidyalaya.

Principle was IDK, madam. I think her full name was Indira Kulkarni. Most dislike women who will make any student stand in front of her cabin on her will, even if he or she was passing by a corridor to get a book from the library.

But today we will talk about Khan Madam, who used to teach us Alzebra, which was ‘Bijaganit’ in Marathi. As I was in Marathi school for you, it will be vernacular medium.

Khan madam will start teaching a particular subject for the next 5 minutes, and if I say to her, please teach again, I didn’t understand anything from your lecture. then she will teach the same subject for the next hour, which was thought by her earlier in just five minutes.

Year was 1994/95. As Raj Thakarey says, with the NCP party formed by Sharad Pawar, Brahman-related Heatred was just getting formed.

Yes, there were cases of Love Jihad, but the word ‘Love Jihad’ was not that popular at that time. But there were cases of Muslim boys poisoning, hypnotizing, or doing black magic called Vashi Karan to get Brahmin or any other Hindu girl’s approval to marry him. As any Hindu girl in her full consciousness will think, a thousand times even getting the first thought in her mind about marrying a Muslim boy.

But it was at the at the same time Bollywood heroes like Shaharukh Khan, who married Gauri, who was Panjabi. And he tells the story how he respects Gauri as her Hindu wife. And he respects her religion. Then there was a story that he had converted her already to Islam. But that is their and Gauri Khan’s problem.

So the problem was in name called Gauri Khan. And make it food for thought for other Hindu girls how Gauri is happy being Khan. But it was the same time when Divya Bharati’s death/suicide happened, and her husband was also Muslim.

But you have to remember there was no internet at that time. No Computer. No mobile phone. Only printed news papers or magazines.

Now back to the main story. The Khan, madam.

One fine day while I was interacting with her about subjects completed or when her lecture was going to get scheduled.

She suddenly says, ‘Apte, do you know only girls are safe in Muslim mohalla and Dalit mohalla?’ And Hindu Brahman girls are getting kidnapped day by day. And supposedly your community does nothing. Then she says only Muslims do pure fast. As other Brahmin teachers eat bananas and khichadi as food alternatives.’

I discussed this with my family, classmates, and other teachers I liked and trusted.

Yes, I may confront her someday.

But what about love jihad wide spread today? Or may one story from Delhi where Muslim boyfriend cut Hindu girlfriend’s body and kept her in fridge, then dismembered and threw away the dead body in a nearby forest area.

And the same person has no remorse, and he thinks Allah will gift him 16 Hoors for his noble deeds.

It’s really funny. Muslims still think they are threatened in India. But they have already created their own country, so they have their own options. But for me or other Hindus, Bharat is only option and choice.

Thanks and Regards
Mandar Apte